Jingle Elf 2 Miler

Guess what? I ran TWO races this weekend. I’m home from the second race (Brian’s Run 5 Mile) and enjoying a well-deserved chocolate covered marshmallow Santa as I type. I’m SO EXCITED to tell you about how Brian’s Run went but I like to keep things in chronological order so I’ll start by recapping the weekend’s first race.

On Friday night I ran the Jingle Elf Run for the second year in a row. This 2 mile race kicks off the enormous West Chester Christmas parade which means that the runners are treated to amazing crowd support from the hundreds of families waiting for Santa along the parade route. It also means that parking in town is insane, but I learned that lesson last year and this year opted to park at my brother’s house and jog into town as my warm up.

Last year I set my (automatic) 2 mile PR at this race with a finish time of 14:33. This year I was hoping to better that time and I got my wish!! I started off fast and before I knew it I had completed the first loop around town with a 1 mile split of 7:02. (Which actually wasn’t quite as speedy as last year’s blazing 6:52… proof that I am making incremental progress in my quest to not start out too fast!!)

Crossing the finish line — look at the huge parade crowd!

I continued into the second lap, hoping I would be able maintain enough speed to beat last year’s time. I felt much slower as I entered the long stretch down Gay Street so I tried to focus on the crowd and use their energy as motivation. I high-fived a few kids and was so relieved when the gentle downhill turn onto Matlack Street finally came into view. I zoomed down the hill, turned into Market Street, and pushed hard towards the homestretch. I crossed the finish mats in 14:28… a 5 second PR!!

I ended up 34th overall, 11th female and 3rd in my age group. Not bad! I loved this little race and will definitely plan to do it again next year. The crowd support is great, it’s an unusual, fun distance, AND it’s a great way to “warm up” for Brian’s Run on Sunday. More on that race in the next post…

Hi! I'm Annie and I live with my husband, Matt, and our GSP puppy, Piper, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. I blog about the yummy food that we make, my ever-expanding garden, and our outdoor hiking and running adventures.